Discussion

I would like to invest in 1-2 Wüsthof knives. Please help me pick one.

I am a pescatarian and for the most part, my cooking involves chopping lots and lots of vegetables. I would love to invest in 1-2 "good" knives and am hoping you guys can help me pick one that would be most useful to me.

As of now, the nicest knife that I have is one chopping knife from idea which I think is okay but not ideal. Other than that, I have lived in a world with only steak knives...I am not sure how that has been possible..but it has : )

MarriaI have been a great fan of the Wusthof classic line of cutlery for the past 20 years. The very first knife that I purchased still remains one of my go to everyday blade and that is a 6" Chef's knife, small light and nimble allowing dexterity approaching their 4" paringknife but with the backbone to handle any small root vegetable. I like their paring blades well enough to own several just for redundancy when 3 Cooks share the same kitchen. My second most frequent blade is a 7" boning knife since we buy large cuts and break them down to save afew bucks. After that it's a toss up between a nice 10" extra deep 2" blade profile that rips a watermelon in two with a single thrusts and breaks down thick slabs if chocolate without a hint of blade wobble. I have been caring for themby keeping the out of the dishwasher, steeling them for almost each use and overgrinding them on a Chef's Choice sharpener unit for at least the last decade. So the good news is that they are very durable and have a lot of steel bolster to grind down in a professional sharpening effort back to a razor edge and proper blade profile that has been eroding away with my extreme zeal to keep sharp edges. While not as thin and light as my Shun and Global knifes that iuse for I have owned most of the Wusthof blades the longest and they have well proven their value. Shop them in person before you purchase. Good luck

I agree with the other poster about seeing and feeling the knives in person and in your hand. I personally don't own the chef's knife because it has always felt too heavy in my hand. You will also want to see what size(s) you feel comfortable with.

Most stores that carry these knives are prepared to let you handle them while in the store so don't be afraid to ask to see them.

I won't be surprised if you end up (one day, but not just yet) with a fillet knife (for filleting your own fish.) The blades on these are a little flexible (which helps when cutting the fish away from the bone or the skin):

The bolster also aids in slicing tomato wedges with a dull knife. I start my cut at the bolster point and draw back the knife (towards me) as it creates the slice. I cannot do that with a thick bolster like Wusthof's Chefs knives.

The French profile works better for me but, whether or not it is better for someone else depends on how they use it. Messmeister uses a more acute edge angle on their knives so, they are "sharper" out of the box then Wusthof or Henckels.

Fibrox handled Victorinox kitchen knives are good values no matter which profile you prefer.

If all you are going to get is one good knife, nothing beats a chef's knife. I'd go for an 8". If you add a second knife, a paring knife is invaluable. Sherrib posted a link to the Wusthof Classic 8" Chef's knife on Amazon, which is $119.95. If you look at their two piece set, it's $121.38 which includes the 8" chef and the 3.5" paring knife. For an extra $1.43, adding it is is not a huge uplift....

Straying a little beyond your question:

If you were to add a third knife (outside the scope of your question), I'd add a thin utility knife. Their 4.5" knife would be a little small for me, I use a knife that would be equivalent to their 6" sandwich. Not surprisingly they have a 3 piece set for these that checks in at $179.95.

Now going further afield:

If you are willing to consider other brands, you can get pretty good knives, but that opens a whole new can o worms. People can pop out of the woodwork and recommend German, French, Japanese blades as the best thing since sliced bread... Unless you are interested in learning new knife techniques, stick with the knife profiles that you know and love.

You can consider a Victorinox/Forschner 8" chef's knife as well if the Wusthof classic prices seem like crazy talk to you.

Since you are a Pescatarian, I would look towards Asia where they have diets very similar to yours. Those peoples generally use a Cleaver. You don't need to spend a $100 or more per knife. A good CCK cleaver runs $40~60 and will work wonders on Vegetables and fish.

As far as German knives go, Wusthof is good. However, there are more styles than the German style. If you like a knife which resemble the German Chef's knife, but with a thinner blade, sharper edge, harder steel, straighter curvature, than the Tojiro DP gyuto is an excellent buy.

marria77,If you are open to other brands, then there are MANY more options out there. Personally, I do own and like the Victorinox Forschner chef's knife. It's a great place to start. You WILL get lots and lots of different opinions. Chem has mentioned some Chowhounders below who are knife experts. I agree that you should take their opinions (as well as his) into serious consideration when looking around and asking others for advice. They give EXCELLENT advice and are extremely patient with someone who is new.